Serbian students blame government underfunding for university's fall in global ranking

Students protesting in Serbia have sharply criticized the government's handling of higher education, attributing the University of Belgrade's fall in the prestigious Shanghai Ranking to years of underfunding. The university has slipped to a position between 500th and 600th globally.

In a statement, the protesting students rejected the government's immediate attempts to blame students, professors, and the ongoing protests for the decline. Instead, they highlighted systemic issues, noting that Serbia's investment in research and development stands at approximately 0.94% of its GDP, significantly lower than the European average of about 2.2%. Furthermore, they pointed out that the annual investment per researcher in Serbia is around 44,000 euros, compared to the European average of 188,000 euros.

The students also cited a government decision to reduce professors' research time, cutting it from 20 hours to just five hours per week while increasing teaching hours to 35. This change is particularly concerning given that the Shanghai Ranking primarily assesses universities based on scientific output. The students questioned how better results could be expected with substantially less time dedicated to research.

Further compounding the issue, the students noted that funding for research projects is not functioning efficiently. The "IDEAS 2024" call for proposals from the Science Fund, which closed in February 2025, had not completed its evaluation by August 2026, leaving researchers waiting over a year for outcomes. They also mentioned insufficient funding for essential equipment and reduced financial autonomy for universities.

"The state cannot save for years on precisely what the quality of the university depends on, and then, when the consequences of such a policy arrive, pretend to be surprised and shift the blame to the academic community," the students stated. They concluded by questioning not why the university fell, but how it has managed to remain among the top 600 globally despite these challenges.

“

Ukupna izdvajanja za istraživački rad i razvoj u Srbiji iznose oko 0,94 odsto BDP-a, dok je prosek u evropskim državama više nego dvostruko veći, oko 2,2 odsto BDP-a.